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Los Angeles Clippers ride Lou Williams to win over Los Angeles Lakers

By Doug Padilla, The Sports Xchange
Los Angeles Clippers Twitter
Los Angeles Clippers Twitter

LOS ANGELES -- Lou Williams scored a season-high 42 points and Blake Griffin added 26 on Monday as the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Los Angeles Lakers for a 120-115 victory and a 2-0 season record against their in-town rival.

It was the 11th consecutive "home" victory for the Clippers over the Lakers, while the Clippers have also won 20 of the last 22 games in the matchup. Both teams call the Staples Center home.

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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 29 points for the Lakers, who had not played in five days after losing at Sacramento on Wednesday. It was Caldwell Pope's third consecutive game with 20 or more points.

The Clippers trailed by as many as eight points midway through the final quarter, but rallied for their third consecutive victory, a streak that followed a nine-game losing streak.

Griffin led the Clippers with 11 rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan had nine. Jordan, who entered second in the NBA in rebounding at 13.9 per game, had 24 rebounds when the teams first met Oct. 10.

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The Lakers got solid play from their bench as Jordan Clarkson scored 17 points and Kyle Kuzma added 15. Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball scored just three points, going 1-for-7 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Ball added seven assists.

Williams shot 12-for-21 from the field, and 4-of-8 from 3-point range, while scoring 15 points in the third quarter alone. It was Williams' third consecutive start after coming off the bench to open the season. Williams' point total was two shy of his career best for a single game.

Griffin did not play the last 3:53 of the game, heading to the locker room with what appeared to be a leg injury. He was also slammed to the floor in the first quarter after a dunk attempt, but stayed in the game that time.

NOTES: Lakers F Larry Nance Jr. returned to the active roster and was in the starting lineup after missing the previous 11 games with a broken bone in his left hand. ... Lakers rookie F Kyle Kuzma, the team's leading scorer at 16.8 points per game, returned to a reserve role with Nance Jr. returning from a broken bone in his left hand. ... Clippers F Blake Griffin has now made a 3-point basket in 19 consecutive games to start the season, the longest streak of his career. He is one of just four players to start the 2017-18 season with a 3-pointer in each of his team's games. ... Clippers F Wesley Johnson, who had averaged 13.2 points over his last five games, scored just four points Monday on 2-of-7 shooting from the field.

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